Surreality
by Aloe Vera
Summary: -edited ch.2 and added ch.6- A young girl, named Carrie, inadvertently unleashes a monster on her friends. Now she must stop him, before he kills everyone.
1. Chapter 1

A striped wool sweater hung neatly on an empty rack; separate and ignored. That is, until an eager young teen snatched it up. She held it up to her body and turned to her friend.

"What do ya think, Allie?" she asked, grinning.

Allison turned around from another rack and made a face. "Ugh! Can you say tacky or what?"

"Yeah, it is kinda tacky." the girl agreed, holding it up to her body again and looking into a mirror. "I'll take it!" she stated eagerly and grinned.

"What? Come on, even you wouldn't wear that! I mean... come on, red and green? It's not even Christmas!" Allison complained as she tried to talk her friend out of buying it.

"Who cares? I like it. Besides, it'll go perfectly with...this!" she said picking up a long black skirt off another nearby rack.

Allison eyed her suspiciously. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Carrie?" she asked, a hint of mock-seriousness in her voice.

"Allie, you know it's me! I just wanna make a unique impression for my first day of school in a new town, you know?" Carrie smirked. "So, what do ya think? Bold? Unique?...Eccentric, maybe?" she grinned impishly.

"Bold?; Yeah, maybe. Unique?; I guess. Eccentric?; Definitely, maybe even a bit...insane?" She grinned then winked as both girls burst out laughing.

"Now, all you need to complete the outfit is something totally unexpected." She glanced around the store and spotted the perfect accessory... in the men's section.

Dragging her friend along, Allison led Carrie into the men's apparel section. "Now, _this_ is perfect!" she said grabbing a crisp, new brown hat. Carrie looked at it and put it on her head, giggling.

"Perfect! What is it?" she asked, eyeing the label. "Well, the tag says it's a...'snap-brim fedora', whatever that is." Allison answered.

"Neat, let's go pay for it, then you can show me around town. I'm sure Springwood is _very_ interesting." she said jokingly.

"You have no idea." giggled Allison as they headed for the check-out.

------------------

Carrie and Allison walked up the school steps early Monday morning and pushed open the heavy double doors.

"So, you nervous?" asked Allison.

"Moi? Of course not, it's not like there's anything to be worried about. Besides, how nervous can I be if I'm crazy enough to wear _this_ to school?" she said, gesturing to the striped sweater and long black skirt. "Not to mention this." She placed the brand new fedora atop her head.

"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you. You gotta be pretty brave to wear that and not care what people think." Allison giggled, giving her friend a gentle shove. "So, where's your first class?"

"Room 113, English." she answered, looking at her timetable.

"113? That means you got Miss Barrey." she said.

"You mean 'Hairy Barrey'? The teacher who gave you detention all the time?" Carrie exclaimed.

"Yup." she replied. Carrie giggled insanely.

"I wonder what she's gonna say when she sees what I'm wearing."

"Probably stare at you like you were a mental patient and send you to the principal's office." Allison said, trying to hold back more giggles and glanced at her watch. "Uh-oh, better get to class. Room 113's just down that way, okay? See ya!"

"Bye, Allie!" Carrie shouted and headed off down the hallway. "113, 113..." she muttered, glancing at the classroom doors. "111, 112...113, here we are."

She peeked in through the window of the door and saw that class had already begun. Oh well, not a problem. She slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside. Miss Barrey looked up from her desk at Carrie, raising an eyebrow in question at her choice of wardrobe; Carrie just grinned.

"And, just who are you supposed to be?" she asked coldly.

Carrie smiled, "I'm your new student." she said in a sweet voice.

"Oh, yes. Right. Of course. Class, this is Carrie Morgan. She's just moved here from Tuscon, Arizona. I'd like you to make her feel welcome to Springwood. You may have a seat now, Miss Morgan, and take off that _ridiculous_ hat."

"Of course, Miss Barrey." Carrie replied sweetly, making a gagging motion behind the teacher's back. She took off the hat and sat down in a seat next to the window.

Joey nudged his friend as Carrie sat down next to him. "Hey, get a load of the new girl." he whispered.

Tyler turned to look at the girl, a sly grin crossing his face. "Hey, who does that outfit remind you of?" he asked, grinning.

"You mean that old Krueger guy that kids talk about?" Joey questioned. Tyler nodded, grinning. "Yeah, she's got the hat and everything. Just give her an old dirty glove with knives for fingers and you've got the new Springwood Slasher, or should I say, Nightmare Stalker?"

Joey groaned in annoyance and whispered, "You know that's only a myth. A person can't come back from the dead to kill people in their dreams."

"It's not a myth!" Tyler whispered angrily. "I have a friend who knows one of the survivors; Alice Johnson."

"Crazy Alice? Oh, come on, you can't believe what she says; she's crazy. You remember how she took her kid halfway across the country because some so-called 'dream demon' murderer killed all her friends." Joey whispered. "You know, I betcha _she_ killed 'em."

"That's not true! It really happened!" Tyler yelled.

"WHAT IS GOING ON, MISTER BALE!?" shouted Miss Barrey.

Everyone stared at Tyler, including Carrie. She had been pretending to look out the window while listening to their conversation. Their little argument had sparked her curiousity. Myths and legends were always interesting in small towns.

Tyler was sent to the principal's office for disrupting class and the lesson continued, but Carrie wasn't paying attention. Her mind kept wandering over what she had overheard. Apparently, this 'dream demon' thing could kill people in their dreams. Interesting. She'd have to ask Allison for more details on this myth.


	2. Chapter 2

_Drip...ting...drip...ting..._

The rhythmic sound of water dripping against a metal surface echoed all around the cold, dark room as Carrie stared with wonder at what she saw. Before her stood a massive boiler, old and rusted from years of disuse and trapped amid a skeleton of pipes.

She stepped closer and pressed her palm against its surface, only to yank it back sharply and suddenly. The surface was searing hot, though it looked as cold as the dead. Quite a deceptive old machine. She looked down at her scarred and blistered hand almost with amusement. Though it looked quite painful, she felt nothing; no pain, not even a dull throb.

She glanced back at the ancient steel creature and slowly reached out with her other hand. A sudden roar erupted from the hearth, as if the steel beast were in pain, and flames leapt out to gently lick at her fingers.

She stared, fascinated, as the fire refused to burn her. She tilted her head to the side and stroked the orange flames before they slowly descended back into the hearth and returned to smoldering embers.

She watched, her hand still outstretched, as the embers cooled and the beast became silent once more.

"Carrie!" A sudden flash of light and shrieking voice yanked her back to reality. Carrie sat up suddenly in bed and shrieked, clutching her blistered hand.

"Carrie, honey, you've burnt yourself!" her mother exclaimed, grabbing her hand.

"I'll go get the first aid kit, honey. You don't have to go to school today, just lie down, alright?" she said and raced out of the room.

School? Carrie glanced at her clock. It was 7:30. She was supposed to meet Allison for school.

"It's alright, Mom. I'm fine, but I have to get to school or Miss Barrey'll kill me!" Carrie shouted as she scrounged around her room in search of her clothes.

She grabbed a black tank-top and short black skirt, quickly pulling them on. She ran a brush through her strawberry blonde hair and raced downstairs.

"Bye, Mom. See ya after school!" she shouted as she grabbed her backpack.

"Wait, honey. At least let me tend to those burns." her mother pleaded.

"Fine. But, be quick, I'm gonna be late." she sighed.

--------------------

Carrie scratched at the gauze around her hand. The antibiotics her mother used always made her itchy. Carrie figured she had a mild allergy to it, but her mother always told her that it was supposed to itch, that it meant it was healing. Yeah, right.

"You alright, Carrie?" Allison asked. "You seem...different. How did you burn yourself, anyway?"

"I'm fine, Allie. My mom says I burned myself on the radiator, you know, the one next to the bed, but I'm not really sure. It does get pretty damn hot sometimes, but hot enough to burn me like this? There must be something wrong with our furnace." Carrie replied, idly scratching at the gauze. "I had this really weird dream last night, too. I dreamt I was in an old dirty basement standing in front this _huge_ boiler."

"A boiler?" Allison asked and glanced at her friend.

"Yeah, I burned myself on it. My mom says it's because of the radiator that I dreamt about a boiler, that it was... 'external influence' or something like that. But I don't know. It was just weird." Carrie sighed and shifted her backpack. "So, what's this myth I keep hearing about?"

"Oh, that. It's nothing really, just something a couple of kids made-up back in the 80's. Claimed some guy was killing them in their dreams, if you can believe that." Allison replied, scoffing.

"Cool, tell me more. You know how much I love myths and legends."

"Well, apparently this guy, Fred Krueger, kidnapped and murdered almost twenty kids here, most of from Elm Street. The papers called him the 'Springwood Slasher'. And when he was finally caught and brought to trial, he got off on a technicality. This kinda pissed off a lot of people. So, the parents of all the kids he'd killed tracked him down to where he lived--in the old abandoned power plant out at the edge of town--and they burned him alive!"

"Woah!", Carrie exclaimed incredulously, "They actually killed him?"

"Yeah." Allie replied, "And according to the legend he came back 10 years later and started murdering all of their kids in their dreams."

"How can you kill someone in their dreams?" Carrie asked.

"I dunno," Allison shrugged. "But, I remember hearing that whatever he did to them in their dreams, happened to them in real life."

"Wow, that sounds a bit like what happened to me, though in my case, I guess it was just my clumsiness and sleeping too close to the radiator." There was a twinge of uneasiness in Carrie's voice since the whole experience earlier that morning had been so bizarre, but since she never saw any serial killers in the dream and her mom's explanation made sense, she relaxed again and asked some more questions about the myth. "So, did anyone really die when this Freddy guy supposedly came back for revenge?"

"My mom said there was a string of odd deaths among some of the teenagers and adults during that time, but my understanding is a lot of them were really suicides, and the whole Freddy myth was invented _after_ those events." she answered.

"I see... Are any of the people that were involved in the myth still around?" Carrie asked, scratching at her burns again, "I might want to talk to them and find out the real story behind this guy."

"I don't know. I think most, if not all, of the people in the story moved away. I guess it was just too hard for them to stay around with tourists asking them questions about the Springwood Slasher." Then Allison remembered something else, "Actually, I think one of Freddy's victims used to live across the street from you! That house was abandoned for a long time though, and I doubt the current owners know anything about the previous ones. But that's basically it." Allison finished.

"Cool, so you really think this Krueger guy was for real?" Carrie grinned.

"Not really. It's mostly just used now to scare little kids. You know, the whole _'You be good, or Freddy Krueger will get you'_sorta thing. Oh, by the way, it's...kind of a tradition here to scare the new kid." Allison said.

"Really?" Carrie asked.

"Yeah. They like to take kids out to the old power plant down by the edge of town, the Krueger place, and see if they can stay there all night; sort of like an initiation. I'll try to keep them off your back for a while, but you will have to do it eventually, alright?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I can handle anything. You know that." Carrie replied.

"Well...alright, because they're planning to bring you there tonight and I just thought you'd like to be...prepared. Come on. We're gonna be late." Allison said as she grabbed Carrie's arm and dragged her into the school just as the bell rang.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was setting low in the sky near the edge of town. It gleamed especially strong through the leaves of a nearby elm tree, casting an eerie red light that resembled blood over the massive structure before her. Carrie whistled long and low as she took in the sight.

The huge building was nothing but a dark, whithered shell of its former self. Empty and lifeless, even though there hadn't been much life there to begin with. The place appeared to have been through a fire and Carrie swore she could even smell the aroma of charred wood and blistering metal. She looked over its massive form again, taking in the eerie glow of the setting sun cast about it and simply said...

"Nice place."

"Enough theatrics, get movin' already." grumbled the burly quarterback, Warren Jenkins, as he pushed Carrie forward.

"Don't push me, jerkwad!" Carrie growled.

"Hey! What are ya doing, Warren? This isn't one of those juniors you're used to pushing around. She's my friend, and you know what happens to people who mess with my friends, don't you Warren?" Allison rumbled, glaring at Warren.

"Right. Sorry, Allie. I didn't mean it, I just got impatient. 'Kay, babe?"

"Yeah, fine. And don't call me 'babe'." Allie replied. "Except when we're alone." she added under her breath so only he could hear. Warren grinned knowingly.

"Gotcha, babe. Whoops, sorry."

Warren smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist. Carrie had only found out a short while ago that this was Allie's 'sweet and gentle new boyfriend' whom she had heard all about. It was hard to believe her friend was dating the star quarterback. Oh well, everything was different in small towns.

"Can we get on with this, already?" sighed Carrie. She just wanted to get this over with. She wasn't too excited about spending the night alone in a dirty old power plant. It wasn't that she was scared; she'd do it, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it.

"Okay, you got everything, Carrie?" Allie asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Got my flashlight, a sleeping bag, couple of pillows, some food, in case I get the munchies, a walkie-talkie... I'm pretty sure you don't do this with the others, Allie, and...my cross. For good luck and to keep the old vamps away." Carrie smirked. "I'm all set, now can we get this thing over with?"

"Yeah, go ahead, Carrie. And remember, if you anything goes wrong, just call me and we'll get you outta there, okay?"

"Gotcha, Allie. G'night."

"Goodnight, Carrie. See ya tomorrow!" Allie shouted as she, Warren and a few others who had come along piled into Warren's jeep.

"Hopefully!" Carrie shouted back, laughing.

As the jeep pulled out of sight, Carrie turned around to look at her 'bedroom' for the night. It certainly was a lot more eerie out there when you were all alone. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Carrie walked towards the building. Squeezing through the boarded up entryway, she began making her way to the heart of the boiler system; the main furnace. This was where they had agreed she would stay. It would be easier to find her if they knew where she would be, should she need a rescue.

The building was eerily quiet; too quiet. She couldn't even hear the crickets anymore. Well, duh. Obviously she wouldn't hear them inside, she told herself. Slowly navigating her way through the maze of pipes, she soon found the central boiler. After she had finished setting up her bed, she crawled inside her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. Less than five minutes had passed when a sudden, eerie feeling of familiarity washed over her.

She sat up to look at the boiler and immediately knew why. She had seen this place before. She had been here, in this exact place... in her dream. She suddenly felt a lot more unsure about this whole deal as her confidence slipped and fear filled its place.

"I _really_ don't wanna be here right now." she whispered to herself as an orange glow grew within the hearth and the crackling of flames grew in her ears.

She flattened herself to floor with a shriek as an eruption of flames burst out and sucked the oxygen from the air around her, replacing it with intense heat. She covered her head with her arms and waited for the flames to die away, hoping that they would like they had in her dreams. When they didn't, she chanced a glance at the fire, only to see a figure emerging from the ravaging heat. A figure who terrified her now more than any other thing in her entire life. With striped arms outstretched, the figure growled with malicious delight two simple words:

_"Freddy's back!"_


	4. Chapter 4

Carrie stared up at the horror that was Freddy Krueger as a pathetic whimper escaped her lips. The sound caught the ears of the dream-killer and forced him from his thoughts. He glanced at Carrie as if he hadn't even been aware she was there and watched as she tried to back away. He grinned maniacally and advanced upon her, crouching down to her level as she backed up against the wall, thus cornering herself.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little piggy who set me free." he hissed delightedly.

Carrie pressed back against the wall as he inched closer, crawling on all fours above her. She turned her head away in fear and disgust at his proximity, his rancid breath hot against her skin. Her breathing came in short, quick gasps as fear filled her and consumed all logical thought.

He breathed in deeply as the fear wafted from her body, like a sweet, intoxicating perfume, and purred with a sick, twisted pleasure. So long it had been since he had last smelled that sweet aroma of fear; of pure unadulterated _terror_.

"W-who are you?" she questioned meekly, pressing her cheek against the wall and snapping him from his reverie. He grinned and slid a single claw under her chin as he turned her head to face him.

"Freddy's the name, and killin's my game." he said simply.

"Freddy..._Krueger_?" she echoed, fear tightening in her chest.

"Yes, and because you freed me, you get the honor of being my first victim." he whispered grimly and raised his lethal glove, poising for attack. "Any last words?"

A million questions ran through her mind at that moment, but only one remained the most important... the one thing she needed to know the most... the one question that would explain all that was happening to her at this moment...

"W-why?" she whispered hoarsely, her throat suddenly feeling as dry as a bone.

Freddy lowered his hand and grinned with amusement. "Why?" he echoed mockingly "I'll tell you why." Leaning forward, he whispered cruelly in her ear, "Because..." and paused a moment to slide his tongue along her cheek while she shuddered with disgust, "...It's_ fun._" he finished and leaned back with those deadly blades raised once more. With a glint of light and a soft grunt, the crude weapon quickly sliced through the air toward Carrie's exposed and vulnerable neck.

A hollow, emptiness consumed her at that moment as the blades sped toward her with impossible speed. She shut her eyes in defeat, his mocking laughter echoing endlessly inside her head, and awaited the fatal blow. But it never came. She knew it should have. She had heard the grunt of exertion as he swung that awful bladed glove, but there was no contact; no broken flesh or severed muscle, only stunned silence.

She opened her eyes to see what had happened and stared openly into Freddy's shocked and confused face as his claws hovered inches above her neck, frozen in mid-attack as if by some unseen force. The shock soon evaporated into anger and he growled viciously at her. He grabbed her shirt collar, yanked her to her feet and slammed her against the wall, hissing in barely-controlled rage.

"How did you do that, bitch!" he growled.

Confusion overpowered fear as Carrie stared at him. She had no idea what he meant. She hadn't done anything. She had been as placid about her impending death as anybody could have possibly been. The last thing on her mind was trying to stop him. There was nothing she could have done, anyway. Didn't he know that? Why was he accusing her of doing _anything_ in her position? These and a million other questions raced through her mind as she finally voiced her confusion.

"...W-what do you mean?" she asked timidly.

Freddy glared at her with narrowed eyes, seething with rage. "Don't play dumb with me, bitch." he hissed.

"I-I don't know what you mean! I don't! I didn't do anything! Please!" Carrie pleaded as the fear suddenly returned unabated.

He growled viciously and proceeded to slam her violently against the wall over and over again, forcing the air from her lungs. He continued to pound her frail body against the concrete wall until he was certain he had caused sufficient damage and threw her roughly to the floor.

He grinned with malicious intent, seemingly over his anger, and fanned the blades as he watched Carrie struggle to breathe and clutch her chest in pain. He advanced toward her slowly, intending to finish her off, when she collapsed and quickly faded away...

-----------------------

Carrie awoke on the cold concrete floor of the old boiler room, her whole body aching terribly. There was an odd coppery taste in her mouth and she couldn't breathe. A cold sweat dripped slowly down her spine and her heart pounded rapidly in her chest as the dream flashed vividly in her mind.

Freddy Krueger was real...and he had very nearly killed her! But what had stopped him from slashing her throat? She took a ragged breath and waited until she had calmed some before reaching for the walkie talkie.

"Allie...I wanna come home, right now." she whispered hoarsely into the receiver.

-----------------------

Carrie stared blankly out the car window, dark violet eyes glazed over in pain and shock. She watched the passing landscape unseeingly as the nightmare replayed over and over in her head. The fear; the pain; all so real; all transferred over to reality.

Allie draped a blanket over her shoulders and patted her arm in an attempt to comfort her. She and Warren had hurried over as quickly as they could after she had received Carrie's request to come home. They were both shocked at the condition she was in when they had found her. They were now on their way to Springwood General Hospital.

"What happened in there, Carrie?" Allie asked quietly.

Carrie didn't answer right away, just continued to stare out the window, lost in the terrifying nightmare. After a few moments she spoke, though her voice was nearly inaudible and Allie had to strain her ears to hear.

"...I saw him...he's real...he's real..." She repeated this softly to herself until Allie gently shook her arm. She slowly turned to look at her friend and gave her a timid smile.

"I'll be okay, Allie, I just need some sleep." she whispered, snuggling into the soft blanket.

"That's alright, Carrie. You just sleep all you want. But...tell me what happened." Allie whispered softly.

"...I made him angry..." she grinned tiredly as her eyelids drooped. "...he punished me..."

"Who did you make angry? Who hurt you, Carrie?" Allie asked worriedly.

Carrie yawned and whispered sleepily, "...Freddy...Krueger," ...before slipping into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

Carrie awoke from a dreamless sleep to the soft, rhythmic beeping of an EKG machine as it monitored her heart-rate, and the cheerful chirping of birds. It was early morning now and the bright early sunlight filtered dimly through the curtains.

Carrie slowly rubbed her bleary eyes, but winced when the back of her hand brushed against her cheek. Sucking in a sharp breath, she glanced at her hand and was surprised to see an IV line trailing from it. She looked blearily around the room and heard a rustle behind the curtain, and then...

"Oh, thank goodness. You're awake!" came her mother's soft voice as she walked through the privacy curtain. "I was so worried!"

"Where am I?" Carrie asked groggily.

"You're in the hospital, sweetie. But, don't worry, the doctor said--"

"The doctor says you're fine. A few cracked ribs and a mild concussion, but you'll live." grinned Allison as she walked in, followed closely by Warren. "So, how are ya feelin'?"

"Ugh, like I got hit by a truck..." Carrie groaned.

"Yeah. So...what happened to you, Carrie?" Allison asked with a hint of worry in her voice. Carrie shook her head slowly and pressed a hand to her temple.

"I--I don't know...I don't remember much from yesterday, or anything before I woke up except...except going to that old power plant and--"

"You took her to that filthy place?!" Carrie's mother shrieked incredulously at Allison and Warren. "Do you have any idea how many sick people could be lurking in there, just waiting to rape and murder defenseless young girls?!"

"Mom! Calm down!" Carrie begged, grabbing her mother's arm. "It's not their fault, I agreed to go on my own free-will. They did everything they could to make sure I'd be safe, they even gave my a walkie-talkie to call for help if I needed it!" she explained. "Please! Don't blame them, besides, I'm alright. You said so yourself, just don't be mad at them, please?"

Lillian's expression softened as she turned to look at her only daughter. "I'm just worried about you, honey. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, you're all I have left."

"I know, Mom." Carrie murmured.

"...The doctor says you'll have to stay here another night for observation, Carrie...just in case. You know." Allison said softly. Carrie nodded and settled back against the soft pillow.

"I guess I should get my rest then, right?" she asked with mild sarcasm.

"Yes, that's probably best." her mother replied. "Come on, Allison, Warren, let's go home. She'll be fine here."

Carrie watched as they left and settled back deeper into the comfy down-filled pillow. She laid there wide-awake for several minutes, not sure she'd be able to go back to sleep, but soon drifted off despite her doubts.

--------------------

Bright, blinding white lights tore through Carrie's closed eyelids and a commotion of sound grew in her ears. She opened her eyes and squinted at the harshly bright florescent lights hanging above her head. There were figures in white hovering over her with shiny metal objects held in their hands, chattering indistinctly about something. They all wore crisp white hospital scrubs and surgical masks.

Carrie felt light-headed and disoriented as she stared around her. She suddenly became aware of the oxygen mask strapped to her face and glanced about frantically. Her eyes soon locked onto the horridly red stains tainting the figures' clean white scrubs and her chest tightened in fear. She lifted her head as she stared down the length of her body and a muffled scream tore from her throat at the sight that met her eyes.

Her stomach was torn wide open as the doctors ruthlessly tore her insides out in slimy, bloody heaps. She watched in horror as her intestines slithered messily to the stark white floor. Screaming, she writhed and thrashed in agony against the steel operating table, but thick leather straps held her firmly in place as the doctors slowly pulled her inside-out.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and her vision darkened as the agonizing torture continued. She was so consumed by the pain that she was barely aware of the four-bladed hand reaching toward her from the descending darkness.

--------------------

Carrie awoke with a gurgled shriek and retched over the side of the bed as three alarmed young nurses rushed to her side.

An hour later, her mother and Allison arrived. The doctor had sedated her to keep her calm, and she sat up on the bed, rocking back and forth. The doctor looked up from the chart in his hands and greeted the two as they entered. "Mrs. Morgan, I'm glad you're here."

"What happened? What's wrong? Is she alright?" Lillian begged questioningly.

"She's fine. She just had a bad dream. But..." Dr. Sandstrom glanced back at Carrie, "I think we should discuss this outside."

Mrs. Morgan and Allison followed him out into the hall. He looked at Lillian, trying to gather the right words.

"Mrs. Morgan. Has your daughter ever experienced any sort of... mental distress? Or been diagnosed with a mental illness?"

"No. Never," Lillian answered, "What does this have to do with her injuries?"

"Hey! Carrie isn't crazy, Doc!" Allison shouted.

"I-I never said she was," Dr. Sandstrom replied, "It's just that... well, she's been claiming that a man in her dreams is trying to kill her. A man named Fred Krueger."

Mrs. Morgan looked at Allison. "You told her that horrible story?" she asked incredulously.

"Hey! She wanted to know. So what if I told her. It's not like she can't handle a simple ghost story." Allison retorted.

"Apparently, she can't! And now you've gone and given her nightmares of that horrible man." Lillian accused.

"Mother..." Carrie stood in the doorway, staring at her. "It's not just a nightmare. He's real."

"Alright, let's just get you back to bed and we can talk about it tomorrow--"

"NO!! Dammit, Mom, aren't you listening?! I don't WANT to sleep! Not here! Not now! I just wanna go home!" Carrie shouted. "Just take me home."


	6. Chapter 6

Carrie sat in the backseat of her mother's car, staring silently at the dark passing scenery and ignoring the worried looks from her mother and best-friend. Her mind kept replaying the events of the past day and a half, trying to rationalize what had happened. Yes, she'd been attacked, but by the town's local boogeyman? A man who was supposed to be dead? None of it made any logical sense.

Carrie stirred from her silent musings and looked up as they pulled into the driveway of her home at 1426 Elm Street, which she now realized was almost directly across from the infamous 'Nightmare House'; a home rumoured to have once been occupied by Freddy Krueger, himself. Only a few years earlier, 1428 had been nothing more than a rundown wreck of a house. Now, it was the home of the Springer family. Did they know what dark secrets were hidden in their home? Did they know of it's bloody past?

Carrie was shaken from her thoughts and ushered out of the car. She silently followed her mother into the house with Allison close behind. Leading her friend up the stairs to her room, Allison sat her down on the bed.

"Carrie..." she paused, "...Are you sure... that this Freddy guy is for real? ...that he attacked you in that boiler room at the power plant?"

Carrie looked at her friend, saw the fear etched on her face, and felt almost elated at Allison's readiness to believe her, despite the far-fetched nature of the truth. Carrie opened her mouth to speak... and paused, "I... I think so. Who else could it have been? I don't really remember much from yesterday..." She was lying, of course; she remembered quite a bit... and more, especially after the horrible nightmare at the hospital earlier tonight, "But... I do remember that he seemed... like he _couldn't_kill me." She looked at Allison and tried to smile, "Maybe it's just the stress of moving and starting at a new school in a new town... and all those stories about Freddy Krueger putting nightmares in my head. Or maybe I'm just going a lil' bit _PSYCHO_!" she laughed, making crazy twirly motions around her head with her fingers and making goofy faces. Allison laughed too, more relieved than amused, and gave Carrie a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're at least feeling better." she said, giving her one last tight hug; a little too tight this time.

Carrie winced and pushed Allison back a bit, "Oof, not so tight, there. Bruised ribs, remember?"

"Ooh, yeah. Sorry about that." Allison gave an apologetic grin.

"S'alright, I'm a tough girl," she teased and flexed her noodley arms. Allison giggled and threw a pillow at the so-called 'tough girl'. The two sixteen-year-old girls giggled at the short pillowfight before silence reclaimed the room.

"So... do you wanna stay up tonight?" Allison inquired.

Carrie thought about it for a moment; she was actually starting to believe the nightmares were just that; bad dreams brought on by stress and the idea of an undead serial killer stalking the dreams of the children of Springwood. Freddy hadn't actually _really_ hurt her, had he? It was hard to explain how she could've gotten her injuries any other way, but it was also difficult to believe some dead guy from her dreams had done it.

"Actually, I could really use a good night's sleep after all that weird stuff yesterday." Carrie smiled and grabbed her friend's arm, "Hey, wanna sleep over tonight?"

Allison grinned back, "Sure! I'll just call my mom and have her bring some things over, okay?" Carrie nodded in reply as Allison disappeared out the bedroom door.

A few hours later, Carrie lay staring at her dark bedroom ceiling. She could hear Allison's soft breathing from where her friend lay on the bedroom floor.

Carrie had awoken suddenly a short while ago from a very pleasant dream involving a field of lollipops and red-furred kittens; a rather odd combination, admittedly, but such were dreams and it was a welcome change from her earlier nightmares. Nevertheless, she was wide awake now, and stuck staring at her ceiling.

In sleepless irritation, she sat up and walked across her room to the door, carefully avoiding the peacefully-sleeping Allison... but something in her full-length bedroom mirror caught her attention. She walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflection for a moment, then placed her hand against it's smooth surface; it felt warm... and soft. She pushed against it and was surprised when her hand passed through its glassy surface like water. Carrie pulled her arm back and watched the mirror's surface ripple gently.

"...guess I didn't wake up, after all..." she mused softly to herself. She'd had very few 'dreams-within-a-dream', and most of them tended to be nightmares. "...wait... if I'm dreaming, aren't I supposed to wake up now that I know it's a dream?" she asked aloud and looked around the room. Nothing seemed to change, though. "Wow... I've never been lucid in a dream before." It was then that she realized she was talking out loud to herself.

"Allison," she called out to her 'sleeping' friend, "Allison. Hey, Allie! Yoo-hoo! Wake-up!" Carrie walked over to the girl and nudged her with her foot. "Allie!" The girl stirred and stared up at her.

"What are you doing in my room?" Allie asked groggily.

"Allie, you're in my room. You're sleeping over, remember?" Carrie reminded the drowsy-eyed dreamer.

"...I am?" Allison rubbed her bleary eyes.

"Yeah, and you're still sleeping... Or I am, at least." Carrie answered. This was kinda starting to weird her out a bit.

"Wait... If I'm sleeping, why are you in my dream?" Allie sat up and looked around the room. She then stood up and gasped, "Oh, no! I forgot to walk the dog!" She rummaged around the room looking for a leash. "My mom's gonna kill me if I don't walk Pookie!"

"Allie... you don't have a dog." Carrie stared at her friend, who now completely ignored her as though she wasn't even there. It seemed apparent from her friend's odd behavior that this wasn't the real Allison; just a mere dream-replica, complete with all the crazy, weird, don't-make-sense dream-crap. So, Carrie just let her leave to go walk her precious 'Pookie'. Instead, she returned her attention to the mirror-portal, intending to make the most of her lucid dream-state. Stepping through the mirror, she found herself in a completely different world. This place was dark and frightening, looking very much like an endless, steaming-pipe-filled montrosity that was very similar to the old boiler room at the abandoned power plant where she'd spent half the night not too long ago. From her perch on a high-hanging catwalk, she could see just how vast the place was, seeming to stretch on forever. But it seemed different from the old power plant; it had a darker, creepier atmosphere and was bathed in a deep-red glow. It also appeared more like an industrial hedge-maze.

A terrified masculine scream rang out suddenly from somewhere below and Carrie looked down to see the dark shadowed form of a teenage boy running through the maze-like corridors like a rat; he seemed to be running from something... Suddenly the catwalk began to creak and shake, one edge breaking away. Carrie grabbed tightly to the railing as the catwalk tipped over and dangled dangerously over the boiler-room floor. She held on as tight as she could, but her fingers were slipping; she was losing her grip and she couldn't hold on any longer. Her fingers finally slipped from the railing and she started falling towards the floor below. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the impact, screaming as the air whipped past her. But then it stopped, and she opened her eyes to find herself sitting safely on the floor, unharmed.

Carrie stood up carefully, a little shaken, and found that her clothes had suddenly changed; she was now wearing the outfit she had picked out for her first day of school. She pulled at the sweater, confused, and looked herself over, but eventually brushed it off as another oddity of dreaming; dreams were like that, after all. ...Right?

After dusting the dirt off, Carrie cautiously started walking down the corridor. But, suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, a hard moving body collided with hers, knocking them both to the floor. It was the boy. Actually, it was Joey from her English class.

Joey screamed when he spotted the sweater-clad girl he'd crashed into, the red-and-green stripes immediately reminding him of the knife-wielding maniac he'd been running from; a man with razor-tipped fingers and a red-and-green sweater just like the one this girl was wearing. Even the hat was the same.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed at her, backing away frantically as he struggled to his feet. Once fully upright, he was finally able to get a good look at the girl. "Hey... I know you. You're the new girl... Karen or something..."

"It's Carrie," she answered, standing up and dusting off her rump, "What were you running from?"

Joey stiffened, suddenly reminded that he had indeed been running from something, or rather... some_one_. He swallowed thickly and moved toward her, glancing around anxiously.

"You... you wouldn't believe me if I told you. But trust me, you don't wanna be around when he shows up. I suggest you run." And run he did, as fast as he could. Carrie watched him, stunned, and opened her mouth to speak... but he was already racing off down the corridor.

"WAIT!" she called out and chased after him, but she'd already lost him. "Joey! Where are you!" She kept running, kept looking, but she couldn't find him. Carrie felt that she _needed_ to find him, before something or some_one_ else did. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but she _was_ sure that this dream was quickly turning into a nightmare; one she did not want to be a part of. She only hoped that if she could find him, she could turn it around, save him and end the dream on a happy note.

Just then, Carrie heard a scream from somewhere up ahead. It sounded like Joey. She ran towards the sound, but another voice stopped her in her tracks. It was a deep male voice laughing throatily at Joey's cries for help. Carrie recognized the voice immediately, and for a moment was too afraid to even move, but Joey's frightened screams snapped her out of her terror and she ran to help him.

She skidded to a halt when she came upon the scene and just stared, wide-eyed; there, in the middle of the floor, was a huge, gaping hole... and clinging desperately to the edge was Joey! And then she spotted him; standing cockily across the hole from her was Freddy Krueger, looking absolutely pleased with himself. Carrie edged closer to the hole to help pull Joey out, all the while keeping a watchful eye on Krueger, who cackled maniacally at the poor boy's predicament.

Carrie knelt down and grabbed ahold of Joey's arms to pull him out, and it was then that she saw the huge spinning fan at the bottom of the hole. Joey kicked and screamed, grasping at Carrie in terror.

"Pull me up!" he screamed at her.

Carrie tightened her grip on his arms and pulled, shifting her weight to lift him out of the hole. But, something knocked her back and she lost her grip on him. She saw Joey slip further into the pit, screaming as the fan blades nicked at the tips of his sneakers.

"Uh-uh-uh," she heard Krueger 'tsk' and he waved a sharp, bladed finger in disapproval, "This one's mine."

"No! Leave him alone!" Carrie screamed at him. She crawled back to the hole and grabbed Joey's sleeve. He screamed again as he slipped further down into the hole's gaping maw and she reached out to grab his hand.

"Hold on!" she shouted, but she could already feel him slipping through her fingers.

"Help me!" The fan blades nicked at his shoe-tips, their sharp edges beginning to slice through the material. A blast of hot air suddenly erupted from beneath the fan and flames leapt up between the spinning blades. The hot air hit her face like a slap, causing her to shut her eyes and turn her head away from the opening. Her hands started to sweat and she gasped as she felt Joey slipping.

"Say 'good-bye' to your little friend, Joey! And say 'hello' to my... biggest fan." Freddy laughed mockingly.

"No! Carrie, please! Help me!" Joey screamed, but it was too late. She felt his hand slip from her sweat-slick fingers, and watched in stunned horror as his body hit the fan. The sharp, steel blades cut through him like a blender, his warm blood splattering the blades as they chopped him into a fine, red paste. Warm, sticky blood splattered up across Carrie's face and she scrambled back from the hole with a shriek as more gore splashed up from the fan. She stared in shock, shuddering at the horrific scene she'd just witnessed.

Freddy chuckled darkly as the pit quickly sealed itself and a whispy, white essence rose from the ground. Carrie watched silently as it swirled through the air, before flowing into his body. He shuddered, breathing in a pleased breath and wrapping his arms around himself.

"Mmm, " he purred softly, "Nothing like a good soul to refresh ya after a long night's work," he sighed, then turned his sights on her, clicking his blades together as he approached, "Now, it's time to finish what we started last night, don't you agree?" He smiled cruelly, walking casually towards her with that devilishly confident swagger, "You may have escaped me the last time, " he growled, "But I'll make sure your death is swift... and _EXTRA_ painful!"


End file.
